Using powershell outside IT management

Question

We have a flexible process control system with which automation engineers configure a large application that includes thousands of small logical units that are parameterized and integrated into the control flow.

There are many tasks that are repeated at a granular level, and there are many proprietary productivity tools that have been made to meet this demand. We have different business segments, and automation engineers differ in their characteristics and interests. The unusual graphical interface and usability and flexibility are a common discussion.

At first glance, PowerShell seems to be a reasonable platform for implementing such tools, which will also be the primary cross-cutting skill for managing the IT aspects of the installation and deployment of the system as a whole.

This should allow the script to approach their desired flexibility (they are already a crowd of scripts), and a GUI dependent can get the desired powershell based GUI.

But I can’t find many people / groups who have tried to make extensive use of the powershell scripting and transmission to place a heterogeneous user community outside the IT management area.

Does anyone have any advice or a word of caution? I am missing something obvious, why should this not be done?

Shouldn't forces take over the world ?; -)

Answer 1

I totally agree with you, PowerShell needs to take over the world, and your expression is where PowerShell is going.

The GUI over PowerShell makes a lot of sense. I made a screencast How to put PowerShell in a WPF application

The Microsoft Exchange GUI is overlaid on top of PowerShell. What you can do in the GUI, which you can do on the command line. Exchange can even “write” GUI steps and present them as a PowerShell script.

Going along this route will lead you to a learning curve. Implementing PowerShell, spaces, PSObjects collections, error handling, etc.

There is still not much.

Answer 2

Powershell is obviously capable of doing this kind of work, and only with time will it become more capable. It is also flexible and extensible, so you need to add something to it, you can. Obviously, its support life will be measured in decades. An obvious drawback is the supplier’s blocker.